FEATURES Shattered Calm U.S Forces in Korea Strengthens Alliance of Hope What's it Like Serving in Korea? Through the Years PHOTOS A collection of photos from the Joint Combat Camera Center VIDEOS A collection of Real Video files from the Joint Combat Camera Center MAPS North Korea South Korea Korean Peninsula DMZ North Korea (political) South Korea (politcal) maps produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency RELATED SITES USFK Army Center for Military History Korean War Air Force Museum Korean Conflict Gallery Navy Korean Conflict CIA Fact Book - South Korea Korean War 50th Anniversary   By Douglas J. Gillert American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON -- Some of the heaviest snowfall in 20 years blanketed much of South Korea, closing highways, shutting down military operations, bringing industrial Seoul to a screeching halt. The Mun Jin bus taking us south from Osan Air Base to the base at Kunsan moved slowly through the night along a winding mountain road made treacherous by an intense blizzard. As Bruce Lee kicked and punched his way through scores of bad guys on tiny video monitors throughout the passenger compartment, the driver hunkered over the wheel, struggling to keep the big bus on the road. Through steamy windows appeared the failed attempts of other drivers, their cars and trucks and buses come to rest at odd angles in the ravines below. That was 24 years ago and I was returning to Kunsan on a reporting assignment only a year after I had served there with the fabled 8th Tactical Fighter Wing -- the Wolfpack. And although my journey back started out roughly, I will never forget the beautiful site three days later, when a dazzling morning sun brought Kunsan Air Base back to life. A F-16C from the 35th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan Air Base (AB), Republic of Korea, passes by the control tower at Kunsan AB, before it takes off for another mission in support of Foal Eagle '98 Oct 28,1998. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Steve Faulisi) Plumes of exhaust billowed into the air as snowplows cleared the Kunsan tarmac for an end-of-runway surge launch. Promptly at 8 a.m. a pair of F-16 Fighting Falcons screamed down the runway and leaped into the clear blue sky. The sound of freedom rang in my ears as sortie after sortie launched; the Wolfpack was back in business at the tip of the spear of America's forward-deployed forces. The burly maintenance officer standing beside me beamed with satisfaction as every scheduled sortie lifted wheels. "This is what being in Korea is all about," he said. "The mission." Whether you're in an air base hangar or a DMZ bunker, the mission rules when you're stationed in Korea. "To say we are busy would be an understatement," said Army Gen. John Tilelli Jr., the senior military leader there. "But we are not so busy that we don't enjoy all that Korea has to offer." Korea boasts an ancient culture and modern attractions, said the United Nations Command commander in chief, who also commands the Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea. "The Korean people are wonderful hosts who sponsor a variety of programs to make an assignment in Korea a positive, rewarding and memorable experience," Tilelli said. Quality of life varies by location -- soldiers on the DMZ don't have it quite as good as sailors at Pusan or airmen at Osan.   Patrons of the Dragon Hill Lodge can purchase hand made suits in one of the many shops in the lodge. The Dragon Hill Lodge is one of the premier DoD lodging facilities in the world. The lodge provides a multitude of services and activities for it's guests and personel stationed in Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jeffrey Allen) But generally, service members and their families stationed throughout South Korea have adequate housing, good exchanges and commissaries and plenty of dining and shopping nearby. Because Korea has well-developed "interstate" highways and a topnotch mass transit system, traveling is easy and gives Americans access to Korea's many national parks and monuments. As with any overseas location, family separations challenge service members' morale. "I understand how difficult this can be, and everyone in the Department of Defense understands this fact," Tilelli said. Adding to the loneliness, many soldiers and families live in substandard housing, a problem Tilelli hopes to rectify. "With the help of DoD, Congressional and Korean government support," he said, "we are into an ambitious construction program to overcome an aged and inadequate infrastructure." If military construction funding continues, he said, it will still take another 14 years until all U.S. barracks in Korea meet the DoD standard of private rooms and baths for everyone. Despite these challenges, American service members' morale is high in Korea. You can see it on the faces and hear it in the voices of both officers and enlisted personnel. It was that way 24 years ago, and it's that way today. What makes Korea different -- many say better -- than other overseas assignments? The mission. "The knowledge that the North Korean threat is just a few miles and few minutes away," Tilelli said. "Everyone understands this. So we train and maintain every day to ensure we can accomplish our mission. It's why we're here."